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You won't find a massive rear wing or blistered rear wheel arches here. And underneath that decklid is the same 3.0L twin-turbo flat-six as the regular 911 Carrera. But it has had plenty of other tweaks to make it more of a driver's car.

Jonathan Gitlin

The steering wheel isn't a multifunction affair, and, if you look in the footwell, you'll see three pedals.

Jonathan Gitlin

Those fancy bucket seats are a (pricy) extra, though, and we quite like the standard ones covered in this Sport-Tex fabric.

Porsche

I like the side decals.

Porsche

Further Reading

It's OK to be a little confused by the dizzying array of Porsches to wear the 911 badge. The rear-engined sports car first appeared in 1963 and has been in production ever since. Considering that the 1,000,000th 911 came off the production line in May, perhaps this approach of catering to a wide variety of tastes with a single car makes sense; right now there are 23 different 911 variants available in the company's lineup, and the latest of these is the 911 T.

It's a name revived from history. The first 911T appeared in 1968, fitting into the middle of the range with bigger brakes and wider wheels taken from some of the racier cars but with what today seems like a very meager 110-horsepower engine. Fast-forward 50 years, and the new 2018 911T also fills a particular niche.

"It's a purist enthusiast car that is appreciated for as much, I think, of what it has as what it doesn't have," explains Porsche North America's COO Joe Lawrence.

There are no huge wings or carbon fiber vents like the Turbo S or GT2 RS. It wasn't designed with outright lap times in mind or to homologate a racing car like the GT3. And it's not weighed down with all-wheel drive or a convertible top.

"If you just look at this year, we've had the GT3, we've had the Touring package on the GT3, we've had the GT2 RS, we've had the Turbo S exclusive. These are all just awesome, mind-blowing, fast cars, also very exclusive and relatively expensive, as they should be," Lawrence explained. "The neat thing about the Carrera T is that we're looking more at the other end of the range and saying, 'Hey, let's do something fun and exciting for the purest enthusiast, maybe for the Porsche Club of America person that's striving for that.'"

Further Reading

Porsche has been down this road before, stripping out the gizmos to create a more driver-focused 911 with last year's 911R. That car took the track-spec 911 GT3 and reworked it for more road-appropriate fun. But it was only built in limited numbers, and it rapidly began changing hands for double its already considerable $185,000 sticker price. Think of the 911T like a 911R for the masses—assuming a $102,100 car can be described as such.

It's about 10 percent more expensive than the base 911 Carrera, and it uses the same 370hp (272kW), direct-injection, turbocharged, 3.0L flat-six engine. But it gets a few goodies you can't get on a regular 911, like thinner side and rear windows, for example. In the interest of weight saving, Porsche has also chucked out a load of sound deadening, and neither back seats nor an infotainment system are fitted by default (although they are both no-cost options). It even ditches the interior door handles in favor of plastic pull-loops, just like previous lightweight 911s.

While the engine is bog-standard 911, the suspension gets a little reworking. There are adaptive dampers—known here as Porsche Active Suspension Management—and the suspension is 20mm lower than usual. The rear axle ratio is shortened, so it's a little faster off the line than the regular 911, and, if you want the rear-wheel steering system from the GT3, that's available with the tick of a box (and some dollars, of course). Porsche has even shortened the gear lever for faster shifts. Yup, you read that right—the 911T is most definitely available with three pedals. (A PDK gearbox is available as a $3,730 option.)

"Those fancy bucket seats are a (pricy) extra though, and we quite like the standard ones covered in this Sport-Tex fabric."

So what is standard here? The seats or the fabric on the extra seats? What is actually in the picture here?

The picture before it, which I took, is of the show car interior that had fancy bucket seats. The photo you're referencing is from Porsche's PR shots and has the standard interior, which is those 4-way adjustable seats and the sport-tex fabric (that looks like ballistic nylon so makes me go squee).

"Those fancy bucket seats are a (pricy) extra though, and we quite like the standard ones covered in this Sport-Tex fabric."

So what is standard here? The seats or the fabric on the extra seats? What is actually in the picture here?

The picture before it, which I took, is of the show car interior that had fancy bucket seats. The photo you're referencing is from Porsche's PR shots and has the standard interior, which is those 4-way adjustable seats and the sport-tex fabric (that looks like ballistic nylon so makes me go squee).

That isn't clear at all.

edit: In my opinion a picture caption should describe the picture and not reference a previous picture. In this case the previous picture doesn't even mention the seats at all so when the caption says "Those seats" which seats should I assume it references? Tell the story in the article not the captions. But I'm no journalist.

"Those fancy bucket seats are a (pricy) extra though, and we quite like the standard ones covered in this Sport-Tex fabric."

So what is standard here? The seats or the fabric on the extra seats? What is actually in the picture here?

The picture before it, which I took, is of the show car interior that had fancy bucket seats. The photo you're referencing is from Porsche's PR shots and has the standard interior, which is those 4-way adjustable seats and the sport-tex fabric (that looks like ballistic nylon so makes me go squee).

Sport-tex or sport-tek (googled it and it corrected me to sport tek)? Can you expand on this or show us a detail photo? I'm not familiar with it.

Compared to the Ariel Atom, the 911 is more like a comfort car with such unneccessary niceties like a roof (pffft ) and seats and a suspension suitable for hour long comfortable driving

Ugh, the "but Ariel Atom" argument is getting to be just as annoying as "but Model S quarter mile times."

I guess it depends on your perspective and how you define purist. For example, one could argue the Atom is the pinnacle of go-kart purity. Or the ultimate vehicle for someone who wants a motorcycle but needs four wheels. Or the vehicle for the individual who wants a vehicle suitable for nothing other than going to the track alone.

Yes, the Atom is both cool and impressive. But comparing an Atom and a Porsche 911 is like comparing apples and watermelons in a lot of regards.

Compared to the Ariel Atom, the 911 is more like a comfort car with such unneccessary niceties like a roof (pffft ) and seats and a suspension suitable for hour long comfortable driving

Ugh, the "but Ariel Atom" argument is getting to be just as annoying as "but Model S quarter mile times."

I guess it depends on your perspective and how you define purist. For example, one could argue the Atom is the pinnacle of go-kart purity. Or the ultimate vehicle for someone who wants a motorcycle but needs four wheels. Or the vehicle for the individual who wants a vehicle suitable for nothing other than going to the track alone.

Yes, the Atom is both cool and impressive. But comparing an Atom and a Porsche 911 is like comparing apples and watermelons in a lot of regards.

Compared to the Ariel Atom, the 911 is more like a comfort car with such unneccessary niceties like a roof (pffft ) and seats and a suspension suitable for hour long comfortable driving

Atoms are a bit too purist for most purists. You might disagree as a purist, but you won't feel so pure the first time a passing lorry kicks up a stone straight through your Atom's beautiful frame and into the side of your helmet. I speak from experience (not with Atoms, but Caterhams), and frankly, I feel safer on a motorcycle than I do in a lightweight track/kit car on most public roads.

Was wondering if "for us purists" meant a return to hydraulic power steering like the good ol' days.I know, I know.. Old habits die hard.

Actually, Porsche has gotten really very good at tuning feel back into the ePAS system it now uses. Don't forget, when hPAS first got introduced everyone hated it back then too, bemoaning how any form of assistance destroyed feel.

I have a growing passion for these true sports cars (for their incredible engineering), but there is NO PLACE to drive these things. There isn't even a publicly accessible track within 50 miles of where I live. Just leased an Audi S3, which can do 0-60 in 4.3 seconds and has incredible handling, and all I can do is idle in traffic and wait at stoplights. I just don't see the point in these 6-figure super cars.

"Those fancy bucket seats are a (pricy) extra though, and we quite like the standard ones covered in this Sport-Tex fabric."

So what is standard here? The seats or the fabric on the extra seats? What is actually in the picture here?

The picture before it, which I took, is of the show car interior that had fancy bucket seats. The photo you're referencing is from Porsche's PR shots and has the standard interior, which is those 4-way adjustable seats and the sport-tex fabric (that looks like ballistic nylon so makes me go squee).

Sport-tex or sport-tek (googled it and it corrected me to sport tek)? Can you expand on this or show us a detail photo? I'm not familiar with it.

Since Dropbox killed public folders you'll have to settle for links to the pics:

"Those fancy bucket seats are a (pricy) extra though, and we quite like the standard ones covered in this Sport-Tex fabric."

So what is standard here? The seats or the fabric on the extra seats? What is actually in the picture here?

The picture before it, which I took, is of the show car interior that had fancy bucket seats. The photo you're referencing is from Porsche's PR shots and has the standard interior, which is those 4-way adjustable seats and the sport-tex fabric (that looks like ballistic nylon so makes me go squee).

Sport-tex or sport-tek (googled it and it corrected me to sport tek)? Can you expand on this or show us a detail photo? I'm not familiar with it.

Compared to the Ariel Atom, the 911 is more like a comfort car with such unneccessary niceties like a roof (pffft ) and seats and a suspension suitable for hour long comfortable driving

Ugh, the "but Ariel Atom" argument is getting to be just as annoying as "but Model S quarter mile times."

I guess it depends on your perspective and how you define purist. For example, one could argue the Atom is the pinnacle of go-kart purity. Or the ultimate vehicle for someone who wants a motorcycle but needs four wheels. Or the vehicle for the individual who wants a vehicle suitable for nothing other than going to the track alone.

Yes, the Atom is both cool and impressive. But comparing an Atom and a Porsche 911 is like comparing apples and watermelons in a lot of regards.

The question comes down to how much all that missing sound deadening and other creature comforts turns this beast into a track toy. A bigger catch is that if such a thing is a pure track toy, then you probably want to chuck nearly all the "street legal" regulations.

http://www.superlitecars.com/aero/ this beast is $70k (and claims to be "turnkey, ready to race"). If you want absolute power (and not interested in the class it was built for), the "detuned" LS2 can be trivially retuned/supercharged/whatever (without getting close to the 911's lofty price). I'm sure there are plenty of other track toys, but this is one of the few that appears to be "no assembly required" and in production (a huge difference in apples to apples comparison).

If you enjoy the loud noise of your 911 (including road and external noise), having a full body (and full safety) certainly beats the Atom for normal driving. It all depends on how "full purist" you are.